Aces in the Hole
by catfoxy
Summary: During a seemingly simple mission, Ethan and Brandt get stuck in trouble - literally. Wanna see how that came about and what happens next? Then read the story..


**Aces in the Hole**

_Summary:_  
><em>The two aces of the team are in trouble – so who will be their ace in the hole to get them out?<em>

_Author's Notes:_  
><em>None of these characters are mine. I'm not making any money from this. Plus, English is not my native language. But I really wanted to see what happens when the two most physical members of the team find themselves in a situation where they have to sit it out, literally, and are forced to wait for help. Hilarity ensued. Don't blame me. Blame the guy who dug the hole. LOL<em>

_Here goes..._

__

"Don't you dare tell Jane."

"Why not?"

"Because if she finds out I'm responsible for your leg being broken yet again only two months after you had that knee surgery, she's gonna rip my heart out, and she won't even _think_ about anesthesia."

Ethan couldn't help chuckle at Brandt's statement, even though the movement made the pain in his leg flare up again sharp enough to make him wince. Damn. He had to remember that the muscles used for laughing were obviously somehow connected to the rest of his body.

In an attempt to pacify both his hurting body and the man sitting beside him in the dark, Ethan took a deep breath, and then turned his head towards Brandt.

"Look, you were just trying to help. You had no way of knowing that I was already in here. And it's not like you came down by choice."

Truer words had never been spoken. When Brandt had gotten out of bed this morning, he definitely hadn't planned on ending up stuck in a hole. Particularly one that was ten feet deep and located right behind the farmhouse they had been observing. The crater-like pit had been practically invisible amidst the overgrown backyard greenery, covered by rotten wooden slabs and a thin coat of earth. It may have seen its time as a practical hiding place for all kinds of illegal goods, but after years of neglect, it was nothing more than a really nasty accident waiting for someone to step on it.

Ethan had been unlucky enough to be that first someone. Scouting around the backyard, he had been careful to avoid being seen or heard by their target inside the house. And, to his credit, he _had_ been successful in that regard. Despite being caught by surprise, he never even made a sound when his left boot crashed through the rotten ground. And he was also pretty sure no one inside the house had heard his landing on the bottom of the pit, regardless of the quite spectacular crash of his head hitting the ground hard enough to make him lose consciousness for a minute or two.

Still, all this would not have been a problem in and by itself. But when Brandt – worried about a temporary lack of response on Ethan's channel – had decided to leave his position and check up on Ethan by himself, a most unfortunate chain of events was set in motion.

Like Ethan before him, Brandt didn't know about the hole. To both their disadvantage, Brandt also didn't know about Ethan's whereabouts _in_ the hole.

So when Brandt moved into the backyard, careful to keep his eyes on the house and on his surroundings, he was ready for any attack from the left, the right, ahead and to the back – but never from the ground.

Two minutes into his search, Brandt found the hole the hard way.

The truly hardest thing about his fall, however – cushioned as it was by Ethan's unconscious body already down there - was the moment Brandt's lower left arm landed awkwardly on Ethan's right leg. The sound of bones breaking had no sooner reached Brandt's ear than Ethan suddenly came awake full-force, reacting on nothing but instinct.

They say that there are some things in life that aren't exactly conductive to one's health. Like for example, getting yourself stuck in a confined space with a sleeping tiger. But to go and hit said sleeping tiger over the head, as well - no matter how accidental - that was were stupid became suicidal.

For the fraction of a second, the analogy of a very angry, large cat coming awake crossed Brandt's mind. But before he could really grasp that thought, he already found himself hard-pressed to try and stay out of Ethan's immediate range. It was the only way to not get his neck broken instantly. Fortunately – for Brandt's health in particular – Ethan came to his full senses fairly quickly, and reacted to Brandt's frantic calling of his name just in time for Brandt to avoid damages of the more permanent variety.

As chief analyst, Brandt had always known more about people than the average IMF personnel. Therefore, Brandt had known that his new team leader Ethan Hunt was a very efficient person. Highly trained, sure. Dangerous, no doubt about that. But Brandt hadn't expected _this._ For all his access to training files and track records, Brandt had never had the misfortune of getting up close and personal with a full-out attack lead by Ethan Hunt. An angry Ethan Hunt at that.

Forget about analysis - the moves Ethan had come awake with could only be described as pretty damn impressive.

Not having expected the sudden attack, Brandt counted himself lucky he only suffered a bloody nose and some glancing hits from the initial confusion. In fact, considering who his opponent was, the former chief-analyst decided that, all in all, he'd happily take a broken nose over a broken neck any day of the week, thank you very much.

Once the initial confusion had settled - and Ethan sincerely apologized for breaking Brandt's nose - they soon discovered that their most immediate problem was pretty obvious. They were both stuck in this forsaken pit, with Ethan being kept down by a badly broken leg, and Brandt nursing a cracked wrist to match his broken nose. Their injuries meant that neither of them would be able to escape by scalding the steep walls of their earthy prison. And calling for help was out of the question as well – unless they wanted to alert their target that he had some down-on-their-luck agents camping out in his backyard.

So they had decided to tough it out and wait for help, which, as they figured, would come soon enough in the form of either of their teammates. Jane and Benji had been standing by in the van just across the field. Sooner or later, they would notice things hadn't gone according to plan. At least Brandt hoped they would.

"Okay, let's assume Jane accepts that this," Brandt nodded at the 'ceiling' of their hole, "was just a freak accident. I'm still going to hear from her about my landing zone," Brandt gestured at the shadowy contours of Ethan's leg. Even in the near darkness of the hole, it did look bad.

"How would she even know that was your doing?" Ethan quipped back, his voice still a bit raspy from all the dust he'd eaten on his initial way down, but slowly getting better. "Besides, even if she finds out, I really don't think she'll hurt you too much when she sees you're banged up, too."

"Provided she ever finds us down here," Brandt half-mumbled in reply.

"Oh, she will find us, don't worry about that," Ethan countered with a conviction born from years of experience with determined female agents in the field. "It might take a while, but she'll come."

Shifting slightly to ease a growing cramp in his leg, Ethan then continued in an even more upbeat voice. "Hell, if Jane doesn't get suspicious, Benji will – if only because he'll miss your constant badgering."

"Thanks, I think." Brandt replied with a raised eyebrow, hard-pressed to not give in to a dry smile at the irony of it being the truth.

"You're welcome." Ethan smiled right back, with his back against the earthy wall behind them, looking at the sky above.

Comfortable silence reigned, as they both followed their own thoughts for a while. It was Brandt who eventually spoke up, softly:

"Do you ever think of Julia in all of this?"

From Brandt's tone of voice it was clear that he meant not necessarily them being stuck in this hole, but their life as agents in general.

Ethan didn't answer at first. Then, pensively, he said just one word.

"Yeah."

Another pause followed.

"I'm sorry." Brandt suddenly apologized when he realized it might not have been the brightest idea to have turned their thoughts in that particular direction.

Just as Brandt felt like kicking himself for his stupidity, Ethan surprised him by continuing softly.

"She's worth it."

It was a rare glimpse at Ethan's inner thoughts. Brandt was aware that this might very well have been the first time Ethan had said those words out loud.

And as Brandt glanced once again at the uncomfortable looking break in Ethan's leg – a painful injury that stood in direct contrast to the almost serene look on Ethan's face – Brandt began to understand.

"So that the world is safe and never knows the cost?" Brandt concluded carefully with a slow nod, and the tone in his voice showed that he could see this concept indeed worth all the trouble they faced as agents every day out in the field.

"Yes." Ethan nodded once in reply, before looking back up at the sky, his gaze a thousand miles out there.

"Okay." Brandt replied, both in reference to Ethan's point of view and also to let the other man know he was grateful for having gotten an answer at all. Ethan didn't have to do that. That much Brandt knew.

Amicable silence once again filled the pit, until Brandt had an idea.

"Hey, you up for a little game of 'I spy with my little eye' while we wait for the world to acknowledge us again?"

Even in the dark, Brandt felt Ethan Hunt's eyes turn on him. He could in fact almost picture the '_what_ did you just say?' expression on Ethan's face.

"Okay, bad idea," Brandt admitted with a smirk, before settling down again.

Silence reigned. Until Brandt whispered almost to himself:

"I spy…."

"Don't make me hurt you."

"Okay," Brandt cringed sheepishly, "But maybe…. uhm, how about 'what's your favorite color?'"

"My _what_?"

A soft rustle as Ethan obviously bodily turned to look at him in the dark.

"Color. Your favorite kind? You never played that game before? What's your favorite whatever?"

A short pause followed, during which Ethan seemed to actually think over that concept.

"That would be a no." Ethan finally replied with a sigh as he came to a rest again with his head against the wall behind him, relishing the coolness of it.

"Oh. Okay. Sorry, never mind then." Brandt gave up on that idea.

Once again, the hole was filled with silence.

"How about-"

"No."

"Huh?"

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean 'no.'"

"You don't even know what I was gonna say!" Brandt looked at Ethan with feigned exasperation.

"Sure I do." Ethan shrugged smugly.

"Do not."

A small chuckle escaped Ethan's throat.

"Did."

"Prove it."

"No."

"No?" Brandt's voice went up an octave.

"No."

Ethan replied with calm certainty. Enough certainty to make Brandt pause.

"Why not?" he asked with a mix of bafflement and curiousity.

"Be—"

"I swear if you say 'because' I'm gonna start calling for help." Brandt interjected with a raised finger, not really caring how empty his threat was considering their current whereabouts.

After a millisecond of a pause, Ethan replied with a whole new level of confidence in his eyes.

"No you won't."

The now obvious smile on Ethan's face made Brandt hesitate for real.

He began to wonder if challenging his team leader like this was really such a good idea. After all, this was Ethan Hunt he was facing. You never knew what the man had up his sleeve. So while Brandt wasn't ready to give in just yet, he was willing to tread a little more carefully. Get all the facts first, just to be sure he wasn't digging his own hole, pardon the pun.

"I won't?"

"Nope." Ethan's confident smile did not waver.

"And I won't because..?" Brandt asked incredulously.

Ethan held his gaze for a moment, until with a sigh he decided that it might be time to let his agent off the hook.

"Because I was gonna say 'behind you'. And I don't think Jane would appreciate your calling out for alternate help when she not only just apprehended the target for us, but she was also about to reach down to you to give you a hand up."

"Wha-?" Brandt quickly turned his head upwards and to his left where, sure enough, he suddenly found himself face to face with Jane. She was looking down at both of them with a worried expression, while Benji stood just a few feet behind her taking care of their unconscious suspect.

Somehow Ethan – proving once again why he was the team leader – had not only noticed their approach but had also known the second Jane had found them.

"Hey Brandt," Jane nodded down in greeting at the surprised agent.

Despite his intensive training in analyzing other people's expressions, Brandt would have given his right eye to be able to decipher Jane's face at that moment. If he had to guess, he would have said it was a cross between relief at finding Ethan and the wish to strangle Brandt. But he wasn't sure.

"Hey Jane," Brandt tried to reply lightly with a slight wave of his hand, careful to display his own injury in the hopes of getting at least some form of invalid's protection from Jane's wrath. He even added a little smirk for good measure.

And he was about to think that maybe, just maybe, he was getting lucky this time. Until he heard Jane's voice carry down in obvious exasperation:

"Brandt, what did you do to Ethan?"

The only answer from below was a martyr groan from Brandt, and the sound of barely suppressed laughter from Ethan, which was followed by Brandt's distinctive howl of

"SEE, WHAT DID I TELL YOU?"

**THE END**


End file.
